Rathdrum is more than affordable housing

We have marveled at the performance of the housing market in Rathdrum over the last year or so as it continues to outperform other market areas within the Coeur d’Alene Multiple Listing Service. We have opined on more than one occasion that the dearth of affordable housing inventory in larger cities has driven people to the Prairie where lot prices are typically cheaper and more plentiful and therefore attractive to builders.

Some may think we have missed the mark and perhaps we have. Although it is common knowledge among Realtors it is obvious we have not touted enough the academic excellence that has come to define our little town on the Prairie.

Not just agents but certainly Rathdrum residents are quick to note their Lakeland School District consistently ranks high in the state for academic achievement. The 2015 NICHE survey rated the Lakeland Joint School District the No. 1 district in Idaho. Not only is Rathdrum home to excellent public schools it also participates with other districts and North Idaho College in cooperative education through KTEC the Kootenai Technical Education Campus. There students can learn many skills that can lead to careers, all without tuition.

From Automotive Technology to Physical therapy KTEC is creating a ready workforce for employers in the area. The Resort Academy there helps provide ready staff to the burgeoning hospitality industry in North Idaho and beyond. Construction trades, media, engineering, welding, design and more allow high school students to receive college credit toward associate degrees that will make many dual graduates of both high school and North Idaho College at the end of their high school career.

Rathdrum is also home to the North Idaho STEM Charter academy teaching kids from kindergarten through 11th grade Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The Academy states that its currcula puts it in the top 3 percent of schools teaching these skills. Students from there have won invention competitions on a state level. As reported in The Press last February; “NASA selected North Idaho STEM Charter Academy to participate in its CubeSat Space Mission in June 2017. The school is the only high school to be selected, and one of 20 institutions nationwide that will get to design and construct a CubeSat — a class of research spacecraft also called nanosatellites — over the next three years.”

With construction nearing completion on the new NIC Career and Technical Education Facility programs will be offered in Aerospace, Trades and Industry, Business and Health among others. A plethora of educational opportunities for all of North Idaho located on the prairie make Rathdrum appealing to those in pursuit of academic excellence. Is it any wonder the little town is growing?

Trust an expert…call a Realtor. Call your Realtor or visit www.cdarealtors.com to search properties on the Multiple Listing Service or to find a Realtor member who will represent your best interests.

Kim Cooper is a real estate broker and the spokesman for the Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors. Kim and the Association invite your feedback and input for this column. You may contact them by writing to the Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors, 409 W. Neider, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815 or by calling (208) 667-0664.

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September 26, 2017 at 2:10 pm | Coeur d'Alene Press
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